Barloworld Transport recently celebrated the official launch of its Transport Academy at its subsidiary Manline’s Pietermaritzburg headquarters.
The fully accredited training centre offers not only professional driving training – including an industry first Women Driver Development Programme – but other learnerships and school partnership programmes, which enable the organisation to make a sizeable dent in the country’s skills requirements and development needs.
Barloworld Transport has 1 800 drivers and has set several international benchmarks by creating a driver career path, backed by a national certificate for those who complete the company’s in-house training courses.
The academy is running learnership and apprenticeship programmes for more than 850 learners (both employed and unemployed) throughout southern Africa, in conjunction with its subsidiary companies and supported by stakeholders such as Teta (the Transport Education and Training Authority) and the Road Freight Chamber.
CEO and Manline founder Neil Henderson said of every 100 truck drivers who applied to the company, 93 did not meet the criteria.
“They do not have the basic requirements to reverse a truck in a straight line,” he said. “As a road freight company, we had to find a way to mitigate those scarce skills in the industry through a top-notch driver training academy.”
They first launched this eight years ago in a small building on the premises – and such was the success and the realisation of its value that it has grown exponentially, with satellite offices countrywide.
James McKenzie, HR executive: Barloworld Transport, said: “People are critical to the success of any business, and the academy plays a crucial role in developing the talent necessary to maintain that success.
"Without talented drivers, we don’t have a business. It’s that simple."
Tony d’Almeida of the Road Freight Association, who discussed the impact of the new B-BBEE codes on skills development and enterprise development in the transport industry, encouraged youngsters to join companies like Barloworld Transport.
“Very few companies do what Barloworld Transport does. This is a fantastic campus right here, and everything is paid for by the company.”
He described Barloworld Transport as a world-class innovator which “encourages people to learn while they are learning”, helping to produce trained youngsters who would be employable at the end of their studies, with practical and theoretical skills.
Nonhlanhla Ngubane
Corroborating this was Nonhlanhla Ngubane, a mother of two in her thirties, who was one of the first women drivers to undergo training at the academy and is now a permanent driver.
Ngubane said she had always been passionate about trucks, and the opportunity offered to her by the Women Driver Development Programme had changed her life and overwhelmed her.
“The training is outstanding. That they then trusted me to drive a truck worth millions of rand also took my breath away," she said.
"I am incredibly grateful to them and I want to give back to the company my total dedication and all of my time for this.
"I know I am a top driver, and I believe that this industry, which has always been male-dominated, is going to change. Sooner or later women will take over – we are excellent drivers and very cautious!”